Clip



March'28 1950 v A. SZENT-GYORGYI 2,502,239

' v CLIP Y Fiied March 5,1948

INVENTOR. YZMg My i 7* f A TTORNE Y i atented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to an improved clip for attaching sheets of paper, documents, photographs or other sheet-like material to supporting means such as a loose-leaf binder or file cabinet.

It is an object of the invention to provide a clip which allows to hold sheet-like material in a convenient manner without any damage thereto. In particular, the invention strives to avoid any perforation of the sheets as well as the use of any sticker or tape, since adhesive material is often harmful to the sheets.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a clip which can readily be attached to the bar or rod of a conventional loose-leaf binder or file cabinet without requiring any special design of such bar or rod.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clip of the above type having a small thickness in order to reduce the space required, in particular when several clips are arranged above or next to each other in a binder or cabinet.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the description proceeds.

For the purpose of illustration, but in no sense of limitation, certain preferred embodiments of the invention will be described hereafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates a clip according to the invention on an enlarged scale;

Figure 2 is a section along line II-II of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a view showing a loose-leaf binder,

, parallel to front section I of the base or frame.

The wire portions 9 and ID are connected to ends II and I2 by wire portions i3 and I l respectively.

The region of rear section 4, 5 and of opening 8 forms the mounting portion of the clip, while the remaining parts extending to and including front section I and wire ends il, I2 represent the gripping portion of the clip.

In order to insert a sheet in the clip, wire ends ii, l2 and associated portions such as 9, l0, [3, ii are slightly lifted relative to base sections 9., 2 and 3, utilizing the resiliency and spring characteristics of the wire. After a sheet has been inserted between section I and wire ends I I, E2, the Wire ends are released and will then hold the sheet by friction under spring pressure.

Opening 8 in the mounting portion of the clip is adapted to have a bar of a loose-leaf binder or file cabinet passed therethrough. As will be clear from the drawing, the opening is substantially round, the slight ovality at the bending points of the wire serving for convenience in manufacture. It will further be clear from the drawing that the opening extends substantially vertically to the plane of a sheet inserted in the clip. Due to the resiliency of the spring wire and the split construction of the rear section, parts 4 and 5 of the latter with the adjacent wire parts may be somewhat shifted against each other to facilitate the introduction of a bar into the opening. However, this will not normally be necessary when using a conventional loose-leaf binder.

Round spring wire may be used to make the clip, or the Wire may be fiat as shown in Figure 2. The fiat shape which may be produced by rolling or pressing before hardening, will reduce the thickness required and will be of particular advantage when several clips are arranged one above or next to each other as it will normally be the case in a loose-leaf binder or file cabinet.

Figure 3 shows a loose-leaf binder with the clips according to the invention and a sheet of paper inserted therein. The binder proper is indicated at I5 and is provided with two clips it according to the invention. A sheet of paper ll is inserted into the clips which are mounted on flat supporting bars l8 of the binder. The bars iii are shown in section, cut away at the level of the clips, to show the arrangement more clearly. Rods of round cross-section may be used instead of the flat bars [8.

It will be clear that the clips according to the invention allow to attach sheets to a loose-leaf binder, file cabinet or the like without any perforation of the sheets and without use of any adhesive, and that at the same time any change in the arrangement of the loose-leaf binder or cabinet is unnecessary, the improved clips being simply mounted upon the conventional supporting bars.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been described hereinbefore, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise details so illustrated and described, but that various changes may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims. For example, the clip may have a suitable, other than rectangular shape, and may also be used in the usual manner, like other customary clips, to hold sheets of paper together, in addition to its being capable of holding papers without perforations in a looseleaf binder or the like.

What I claim is:

l. A substantially rectangular clip of springwire for holding sheet-like material, comprising a central wire portion forming the front section of a rectangle, a pair of lateral portions of the wire extending from the front corners to the rear corners of said rectangle, a, pair of rear portions of the wire extending from the rear corners of the rectangle to the center so as to abut each other and form a split rear section, and a pair of wire extensions leading from the center of the split rear section generally towards the front section of said rectangle and shaped to cooperate in forming a split ring, the axis of said ring being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the rectangle and said split ring being adapted toaccommodate bar-like holding means for said clip, said pair of wire extensions terminating in a pair of wire end portions cooperating with the front section of said rectangle to grip the sheet-like material under friction.

2. A substantially rectangular clip of spring wire for holding sheet-like material, comprising a central wire portion forming the front section of a rectangle, a pair of lateral portions of the wire extending from the front corners to the rear corners of said rectangle, a pair of rear portions of the wire extending from the rear corners of the rectangle to the center so as to abut each other and form a split rear section, a pair of wire extensions leading from the center of the split rear section generally towards the front section of said rectangle and shaped to cooperate in forming a split ring, the axis of said splitring being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the rectangle and the split ring being adapted to accommodate bar-like holding means for said clip, and a pair of wire end portions forming an additional rectangle disposed within said first mentioned rectangle and substantially aligned with the latter, and cooperating therewith to hold the sheet-like material under friction. said spring, Wire being fiat wire.

ALBERT SZENT-GYORGYI.

REFERENCES CITED The. following references: are of record in the file of this patent:-

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 356,315 Hunt Jan. 18, 1887 462,948 Johnson Nov. 10, 1891 660,990 Houghton Oct. 30, 1900 858,275 Franklin 1 June 25, 1907 1,045,596 ODonnell et. a1. Nov. 26, 1912 1,063,670 Ersler V Nov. 29, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 309,548 Germany Nov. 29, 1918 

